


Happened so fast

by Skysblue



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, affair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23051137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skysblue/pseuds/Skysblue
Summary: Callum and Whitney come back from the club and after he drops her off he hears a scream. When he comes face to face with the stranger he feels something, something different about him.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell, Whitney Dean/Callum "Halfway" Highway
Kudos: 23





	1. Night breeze

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is my first fan fic and I hope you enjoy. I got inspired to do a twist on one of the storylines.

_10PM, FRIDAY_

\- - -

“I’ve had a lovely night” Whitney shivers as Callum holds her close as if to save her from the cold air from the outside as she gently smiles at the tall man.

callum keeps hold of her all the way to her apartment before letting her go, callum just smiles down at her.

”yeah” sniffs callum with his arms folded “it was alright I guess.”

”you guess?” Whitney quickly responds before callum can get a word in “was it that bad? Tonight I mean.”

”no, no of course not I’m just not a fan of clubs” he sniggers trying not to act awkward as whitney night notice how much the tall lad didn’t enjoy it but she just believed him anyway and then it was silent.   
  
Whitney searches for her keys in her bag as she looks up at callum “you at work tomorrow?”   
  
Callum doesn’t say anything but shakes his head.   
  


Whitney blurts out “I was wondering if we can do this again tomorrow night, you can pick then I promise” she just smiles as she unlocks her door.   
  


“yeah I’ll text you tomorrow morning to sort something out” callum hesitates “night whit” 

“night callum”   
  
As the door slams behind her. He thinks about everything and I mean everything from his thoughts and he doesn’t think he can do this anymore. Lie to her.

But Callum being the gentleman he is doesn’t want to hurt her so he thinks it’s better to lie to her than to tell the truth. It’s the first time he has ever lied to her about anything. He is always honest.

 _callum walks into the distance like a shadow_   
  
As he is walking the streets back to his flat he hears a scream coming from the arches, he has never ran so fast in his life.   
  


He arrives there to this stranger getting beaten up, he blurts out “oi! Leave him alone” he runs to the stranger in a grey hoodie with a concerned look on his face.   
  


“I’m fine, thank you I guess” he coughs as if he can’t breath.   
  


“You guess? I just saved you life I would be more great full if I were you” Callum says with a stern look on his face as if he’s waiting for something more.   
  


“your right, I’m sorry how about I buy you a drink. Tomorrow night?” The stranger pleads “sorry I didn’t catch your name?” 

“it’s callum and sure but it will have to be in the evening as I’m meeting my girlfriend” as callum glances at him.

”that’s just perfect callum, oh and by the way I’m Ben” Ben says with a slight smirk that grows upon his face. 

Why does callum feel weak when he hears Ben say his name? He says it so soft like it’s fragile. 

“At least let me clean you up” callum blurts out as he looks Ben up and down and back to his eyes, there as blue as the ocean. 

Ben walks inside the arches and sits on the chair “well only if you insist” scoffs Ben.

callum reaches for the first aid kit and starts to dab his cuts as Ben hisses “I’m sorry” Callum apologetically says. 

”pass me your phone a sec” callum looks at him with a confused look “to put my number in” Ben finally says “if we’re going for a drink tomorrow you’ll need to text me when won’t ya” Ben smirks at the tall lad.   
  
Ben stands up looking up and locking eyes with callum “text me when and where loverboy” ben says before he can stop himself. 

Callum’s looks up at Ben raising his eyebrow and thinking did he really just say that “your all done anyway.”

”bet you say that to everyone” Ben sniggers as he looks into callum’s blue eyes “see you tomorrow then have a good night” Ben says as he walks out.   
  
_both the boys walk in different directions and they look back at each other until all they can see is a shadow._

Callum arrives back at his flat and his hand shivers as he tries to unlock the door, all he can think about is Ben and why is he so mysterious. Callum has a lot of questions going through his head like, why was he being beaten up? Why did I agree to go for a drink with a stranger?   
  


Callum finally unlocks the door as he looks around and then steps in, slamming the door behind him. 

Ben is standing around the corner looking at callum as he shuts the door, Ben also can’t stop thinking about Callum and he can’t wait to see him again tomorrow. 

_Ben walks of after a while._

Both the boys think about meeting tomorrow and there nervous about it. They don’t know what to expect and they have no clue why there so nervous.


	2. Maybe just maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the evening that Ben and Callum go to the vic, it was all running smoothly as the boys get to know each other until something happenes.

8AM, SATURDAY 

\- - - 

Callum wakes up bright and early after only 3 hours of sleep, he couldn’t sleep as he kept thinking about the evening ahead. He kept think about meeting up with Ben and he was nervous, he doesn’t know why he was nervous he just was.   
  


Ben also didn’t get enough sleep last night, he can’t stop thinking about meeting Callum either. He doesn’t know why but even though he only just met Callum and doesn’t know anything about him he is still intrigued to get to know him more.

Callum jumps out of bed and decides to go for a walk to clear his head, he receives a text from, he takes a while to read it, he thinks could it be Ben.

Whitney {8:30}: “we still on for tonight.”

callum doesn’t reply straight away, he just stares at it, he thinks to himself that he has to reply or Whitney will suspect something.

callum {8:35}: “yeah whit, I’ll text you later.”

callum turns his phone off for a bit to clear his head, a few hours past and it’s 10 o’clock when he hurry’s up gets changed and walks out the door closing it behind him. As callum walks by the minute mart he spots a familiar face he looks closer and sees bens walks towards him and Callum thinks he should turn around but he doesn’t want to seem weird so he walks in his direction accidentally bumping into him. 

”I’m so sorry” Callum jumps slightly looking up at Ben smiling “oh you again” he laughs slightly. 

ben looks up to Callum “alright loverboy? We still on for this evening? I was thinking vic about 6ish.”

Callum looks down with a slight shy grin on his face and nods “yeah, I can do 6, I’ll text you. Alright?” And as he said the can see from the corner of his eye that bens eyes are focused on him. 

ben nods back “yeah, I look forward to hearing from you.”

Ben walks off behind Callum. Callum turns around and watches ben walk off and his eyes are fixed on Ben and doesn’t take them off him until he can no longer see him. 

Callum turns back around and walks on in the opposite direction.  
  
  
\- - - 

After a few hours at work, Callum goes home to her ready, he looks at the clock and it shows that it is 5:00. He jumps in the shower, then gets dressed and the nerves are hitting him and he can’t understand why he is this nervous. 

He receives a text from Ben and it says “I’ll see you there lover boy.” This has made Callum more nervous and he just ignores him.

It’s just reached 6:00 and Ben is already in the vic, as Callum passes about his flat he finally leaves, locking the door behind him. 

He almost drags himself into the pub to stop himself turning around, he looks over at Ben as he looks back and then he walks over to him as he already got a round in. 

Ben smiles up at Callum “I didn’t really know what drink to get you so I just got you a beer” he says as he points at it. 

Callum says great fully “no, no it’s fine I like beer anyway” Callum takes a huge gulp as he tries to keep his nerves under wraps.   
  
But Ben sees through it, almost like he knows Callum. “You nerves?” He asks knowingly, Callum just shakes his head looking at him “I’m meeting my girlfriend later anyway, so I can’t stay here all night or she will kill me” Ben smirks jokingly “so she wears the trousers then” he laughs. 

callum just rolls his eyes “obviously her mate” and he lets out a slight laugh.

Ben doesn’t know if he’s joking or being serious but he just laughs along with him as the two men make eye contact, you can tell that Ben is drunk. Callum doesn’t know how long he’s been here and he didn’t want to know because it will just be a sarcastic comment off Ben. 

Ben asks interestingly “so what do you do then?” Callum’s takes a big gulp of his beer “I work at the funeral parlour but I’m interested in becoming a police officer, what about you?”

Ben replies “I own half of the car lot and I also own the arches so I’m back and forth working there.” 

Callum nods looking interested “what happened yesterday then, with them blokes” Ben tries to ignore the question “oh nothing, I like it a bit rough” Ben just laughs. 

“So have you always lived here?” Callum questions ben “no, I moved back just a couple months ago with my daughter and her mother, we were just travelling a bit.” 

callum raises an eyebrow “daughter? I didn’t know you had one” Ben snaps “why would you” them Callum just nods.

Callum walks into the bathroom with Ben following shortly. 

“following me?” Callum jokingly says turning around looking at Ben. 

Ben looks up at him, looking in his eyes “can’t help it, your that irresistible” 

Callum just laughs, he’s nervous and he doesn’t know if Ben if joking or not, he just takes it as a joke “oh shut up you” laughing to ease the silence. 

Ben walks closer to the tall man looking up at him and whispers “make me” Ben slams his lips on Callum’s, kissing him as he smiles through it. 

The tall man pushes him away and looks at him a little longer before he reaches the door, Ben grabs his arm looking at him “I thought this is what you wanted” 

“no, no of course not. I have a girlfriend. I-I ain’t like that alright, your just drunk it’s fine” Callum trembles as he doesn’t look back, Ben finally replies “I didn’t do that because I was drunk loverboy, I did that because I wanted to” Callum walks out and as stands by the bar he sees Whitney looking over at him.   
  
He walks over to her and just says “I thought we were going out in town” as he says that Ben walks out of the bathroom looking at him “change of plan. Hope that’s alright babe.” 

Callum’s eyes are fixed on Ben as he replies “no, that’s alright. I just wanted to see you.” Ben smirks at him holding his glass high.

“Can we just get out of here” callum determinedly ask Whitney hoping Whitney says yes and she does, she just nods as the two walks towards the door. 

Callum looks back a final time to see that bens eyes are fixed on him and only him. 

Then Callum walks out the pub and onto the square thinking about what happened tonight and why he lied to Whitney about it. 


End file.
